Baking triumphs.

Possible reasons my fourth attempt at meringues was the one batch to finally come out decently:

- I switched from cream of tartar to baking powder.

- I kept the heat on in my apartment, despite the discomfort, to make sure the ambient air temperature was as warm and dry as possible as an insurance policy against my somewhat temperamental oven.

- I watched the oven not like a hawk, which is to say from a dispassionate distance, but like a goose, which is to say suspiciously and very closely.

- I made the meringues themselves a little smaller.

- I channeled my inner frustration over the first three batches into the fourth, whipping the egg whites, whipping them more, whipping them a little longer, and giving them yet another whipping after that.

- I finally got lucky.

My family's having guests for dinner tonight, and rather than a cake, I was asked for a smaller, lighter dessert. I've sunk a whole lot of eggs and maple sugar into these. The batches that didn't come out mostly deflated and caramelized. Unintentionally fabulous oven caramel isn't a bad thing, but right now, it wasn't the desired thing. And now that I finally have what I was after this whole time, having tried on and off since last night and all through today, I can stop questioning my self-worth.

So long as I remember to whip them something good the next time I get called on to do this.

Though I might give coconut sugar a shot, and see if that changes anything.